Turning up the volume on live Australian music

The Albanese Labor Government is backing Australian musicians and live music venues across the country with a $2.5 million investment.

Round Six of the Live Music Australia program is delivering grants to 62 recipients with a focus on supporting and improving live music venues.

The funding will assist recipients with renovations, sound and lighting upgrades, and payments to artists – enabling venues to support more original music, hold more gigs, and reach larger audiences.

With some projects spanning multiple locations, 90 venues in metropolitan, regional, and remote Australia will benefit.

Successful applicants include:

  • Lucky Bay Brewing in Esperance, Western Australia - $48,365 for the installation of professional equipment to help attract more touring artists.
  • Tom Atkin Hall on the Gold Coast - $47,000 to support local and touring artists across a range of music genres to perform 40 gigs at the venue.
  • Sydney venue, The MoshPit - $30,000 to bill emerging bands alongside established acts, supporting rising talent to reach new audiences.
  • The Dart and Marlin in Warrnambool, Victoria - $22,500 for the installation of sound equipment and staging to increase its capacity to host original live music.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the funding will help small to medium sized venues continue to support quality live Australian music.

“I want Australian music to be the soundtrack to life in Australia, and that means supporting our live music scene.

“We need to make sure that the next generation of musicians continue to have access to great venues to perform at. That’s what this funding does.”

For more information on the Live Music Australia program, visit https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/live-music-australia

Learn more about what the Albanese Labor Government is doing to support Australian contemporary music through its National Cultural Policy, Revive: A Place for Every Story, a Story for Every Place at https://www.arts.gov.au/what-we-do/new-national-cultural-policy.